Electrical switch.



Patented Apr. l, I902.

E. e. KASTENHUBER. ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

J I wu F E I 1 I I 1 w (No Model.)

- INVENTOR Edwin igil arimh zr ATTORNEY WITNESSES: mwxglzzw UNTTED STaTEs PATENT @EEicE,

EDIVIN G. KASTENI'IUBER, OF BLOOMFIELD, NE\V JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

ELECTRICAL SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 696,447, dated April 1, 1 02 Application filed June 6,1901. Serial No. 63,432. (No model.)

To all whom it 7721151 concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN G. KASTENHU- BER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomfield, in the county of Essex, in the State of New Jersey, have invented new and useful Improvements in Electrical Switches, of which the following is a specification.

This invention resides in certain novel features of construction by which the switch is made simple and durable and its operation reliable, as set forth in the following specification and claims and illustrated in the annexed drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the switch. Fig. 2 is a sectional end View of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the switch with the cover removed, and Fig. 4 is a side elevation illustrating the positions of the parts when the switch is closed.

A suitable fixture orsupporting means-as, for example, a boX or housing-is shown at I, and terminals are indicated at H II. The switch-piece is mounted to rock and is composed of a blade or arm F and an intermediate member A. WVhen the contact-blade F swings or pushes into the terminals or contacts with the latter, the circuit is closed, or, in other words, the switch is on. WVhen the blade is clear from the terminals, the switch is 01? or the current interrupted. The blade moves with or is practically one piece with the segment or intermediate member A, both being fixed to or moving together on the pivot or fulcrum g. This intermediate member is shown in the form of a two-armed leyer or lever of the first class, one arm being provided with a stop or lug a and the other arm with an angular extension having a slot or eye at b eccentric to the pivot g, forming means for loosely engaging or connecting a spring B, fixed to or moved by lever O. The lever O is fulcrumed to rock at e and has finger-pieces or buttons E E for moving the lever or turning the switch on or off. The spring 13 is readily formed from a blade or straight piece or strip of spring metal, and as the lever or finger-piece C is swung or rocked about its fulcrum c the lower or free end of the spring at connecting-point b will sweep or swing back and forth, so as to swing or rock repair.

intermediate member A with blade F and make or break contact with the terminals H H. lVhen the parts are at rest-that is, the switch either on or oifthe arm F has been swung to such position that the spring B is in straight or nearly straight position. In other words, the spring is not under tension or practically free from tension when the switch is eitheron or off, and such spring is only bent or strained during the moment or interval during which it is occupied in swinging the contact-piece to or from circuit-closing position. The spring being thus free from strain except during the short periods required for shifting the switch will retain its normal or original strength for a practically indefinite time, while if a spring were required to be kept under constant tension its gradual weakening or wearing out might call for'renewal'or The lug or stop a on one arm of the member A is shown adapted to alternately rest against opposite sides of a lug or stop a on the lever O.

As shown in Fig. 1, the push-button E has been depressed to bend the spring B, so as to cause the switch-arm F to tend to move in left-handed rotation away from the switchcontacts and to open the switch. This tendency was prevented while the fiexion of the spring B continued until the lug a on the lever O was moved up from the path of the lug a on the member A, whereat said memher A and the switch-arm F, which move together, were snapped by the spring in lefthanded rotation to open the circuit at the switch-contacts. As soon as the parts A and F reached the position shown the spring B, by means of its attachment to the lever O and engagement in the slot Z) of the member A, caused lever O and member A to take up their normal positions with respect to each other, which positions are such that the stop a on the lever C, which stop has been moved downward by this action, engages the righthand end of the stop C6 on the member A. To close the switch, the button E, which is shown in Fig. l in its raised position, is depressed into the position shown in Fig. 4,

whereat the switch parts assume the positions shown in the latter figure, the switch-arm F closing the circuit by engaging the switchcontacts. When the button E was first depressed, the spring B was bent so as to cause the arm F to tend to move in right-handed rotation toward the switch-contacts to close the switch. This tendency was prevented while the flexion of the spring B continued until lug a on the lever (J was moved down from the path of the lug a on the member A, whereat said member A and switch-arm I which move together, were snapped in righthanded rotation to close the circuit at the switch-contacts. As soon as the parts A and F reached the positions shown in Fig. 4, the spring B, being attached to the lever C and engaging loosely in the slot 1), caused the lug a on the lever O to move upward until it reached its normal position in the path of the lug a on the member A.

The fulcrums g and Q can be mounted on a suitable part of the deviceas, for example, a post or riser D, forming a suitable bearing part and constructed of sheet metal. The other switch parts A, O, and F are admirably adapted to be constructed of sheet metal, which fact of course contributes materially to produce a cheap and efficient article of manufacture.

As the springB retainsits required strength, as noted, such spring can always be depended on to rapidly or efiectively swing or snap the blade F from and to the terminals as one or another of the finger-buttons E or E is pushed or actuated. A further important advantage of this switch is that it can be readily adapted as a double-pole switch, as it is obvious that the pivot 9 can carry any desired number of arms F.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A contact-piece made in the form of a two-armed lever, a finger-lever mad e to engage one arm of the contact-lever, and a spring secured to the finger-lever and made to loosely engage the other arm of the contact-lever so as to shift the latter as the spring and fingerlever are swung back and forth substantially as described.

2. In an electric switch, the combination with the contacts, of a rocking switch-piece arranged to close the circuit therethrough, a rocking operating-lever, a straight spring fixed to the rocking lever and loosely engaging the switch-piece, and lugs on the switchpiece and rocking lever, which lugs cooperate with each other and with the spring, to normally look the parts and hold them locked until the movement of the rocking lever has put the spring under sufficient tension to snap the spring into or out of engagement with the switch-contacts.

3. In an electric switch, the combination with switch-contacts, of a rocking switchpiece, a rocking operating-lever, cooperating stops on the switch-piece and operating-lever, and a normally unflexed straight spring fixed to the operating-lever and looselyengaging an eccentric portion of the switch-piece.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN G. KASTENHUBER.

- \Vitnesses:

CHAS. E. POENSGEN, E. F. KASTENHUBER. 

